Build Mode Feedback for EA

I think it's probably public knowledge that EA/Maxis holds occasional conference calls and community days with Sims fans and fan sites to disseminate information about upcoming developments for The Sims. One such community day is coming up for the new Get to Work expansion pack. I am not participating in that community day, but I did participate in the February conference call announcing the expansion pack. Perhaps, they invited me because of the interview I did with VentureBeat. Who knows?

Regardless, the production team asked for feedback from everyone on the game so far. I couldn't get a word in, and perhaps that's good, but they invited us to send feedback by email as well. I really wanted to voice my frustration with the loss of critical creative tools in the game--restrictions I think are undoubtedly affecting the reception of The Sims 4 in the Sims community, especially the creative community. I don't know if I'll ever be invited to another such conference call or community day (and frankly, that's of no concern to me), so I figured this was my last chance to tell them my concerns--hopefully in a constructive and articulate manner.

So I emailed them my thoughts a few days later. I know my thoughts might not reflect yours, but I figured I'd share anyways. I tried to limit my discussion to three major points. But I also mentioned this incredibly helpful and productive thread in my summary. If these thoughts resonate with you, please feel free to share or comment. I'm just one small voice, but I'd love if we as a community could make some sort of difference and impact on the future of The Sims.

I'm attaching screenshots here, but here's a link to the actual file if you'd like to translate the PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1uvd0xp4d5yxfwx/FeedbackBillSchloss.pdf?dl=0. You can also find everything at my blog: http://billsimnyc.blogspot.com/2015/03/questioning-future-of-sims.html

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